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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: shower · present · mug · branch · bat · race · ruler · stick

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. mug — to rob
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. present — the time now
  5. branch — a division
  6. bat — the animal
  7. race — a contest
  8. present — there
  9. shower — to wash
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. race — the arms race
  18. mug — a face
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — rain
  21. mug — a cup
  22. race — humankind
  23. present — a gift
  24. ruler — for measuring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com